


Snowfall

by ScarletWinter2478



Category: James"Bucky"Barnes - Fandom, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Flirting, Love Stories, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 16:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13252422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletWinter2478/pseuds/ScarletWinter2478
Summary: James “Bucky” Barnes was settling in at the new Stark Avengers compound.  Now an official part of the team, he was doing all the things the ‘job’ required of him.  He played well with the other team members; he laid low and really tried to stay out of trouble.  He even kept his weekly ‘shrink’ appointments.  Life was predictable, and he often felt bored, but at least he had a life, and it was his own.  That is until ‘she’ arrived.Danica “Dani” Lancaster was quiet to the point of being shy, but possessed some ‘talents’ that Tony Stark wanted on his team. She joined the Avengers at his request, looking for someplace where she would fit in. And for some reason neither of them could really explain, Bucky and Dani hit it off right away.  Though their life experiences were quite different, they seemed to be birds of a feather, although they convinced themselves it was best to keep their relationship platonic.The rest of the team could see that was ridiculous…with Christmas and the New Year looming, how long would it take them to see it too?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, the stories I start somehow manage to end differently than I originally planned. I had fun with this one, the words flowed easily and I hope they came together to make an entertaining story for you to read. Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions, I really love to hear from you!
> 
> Happy New Year to each and every one of you!!  
> Enjoy!

 

She watched from the window, a smile playing around the corners of her mouth. He was such a goofball, this big, bad Winter Soldier assassin that she had begun to think of as her own. The rest of them, the other ‘Avengers’, weren’t much better. The world only got to see one side of them; the larger-than-life “super-hero” side. If they only knew the real characters that existed beneath the colorful ‘uniforms’…

Dani shook her head and turned to look at Wanda as she joined her at the window. Both of them jumped as an errant snowball smashed against the glass in front of them. Searching the grounds below, they both spotted Bucky, standing with his legs spread, one hand on his hip while the other offered them a jaunty salute.

“That was a pretty good shot, considering we are twelve floors up,” the newest member of Stark/Avenger’s team never ceased to be impressed by the abilities of the group of individuals that she had, by pure luck, been drawn into. Seeing that it was Bucky who had tossed the snowball had nothing to do with how impressed she was... Not at all.

Wanda took her hand, “I think that was an invitation to join Bucky outside… and I think you should do it.”

“Oh do you now? What about all the paperwork I have sitting on my desk?”

“Paperwork shmaper-work! You can do that any time.” Wanda was always one to call it like she saw it. “You and Bucky, Bucky and you… THAT should be the most important thing on your mind. He is so crazy about you!”

“Wanda…I…” Dani attempted to correct her, “Bucky and I are friends. Good friends even… but you make it sound like…”

“Stop!” the petite redhead gave an exasperated giggle as she interrupted, “There is no sense in you trying to pretend that the two of you are “just friends”. We have all seen it!” she waved her arms in all directions. “Do you honestly think we haven’t noticed how you are always together… sitting side by side at the table during meals or meetings; or together on the couch or in the home theater during movie nights? How about the way your hands seem to always be touching when you take your little perimeter walks nearly every evening? Really? You don’t think we know what’s going on??!!”

Dani’s eyes had grown quite large, she wanted to deny that what her friend was saying was true, but in fact, she and Bucky had become pretty much a matched set during the 2 months since she had arrived at the Avengers Compound. They really enjoyed spending time together, mostly because they were more alike than anyone would ever believe or understand… but this??!!! Wanda seemed to think that there was some big romance happening, and that just wasn’t so!!

At that moment, the subject of their discussion magically popped his head around the corner asking, “Anyone feel like a walk around Lake Stark?” Both women jumped at his sudden appearance and giggled at his reference to the man-made lake that Tony had added to the grounds after acquiring the acreage where the new compound sat.

“Oh Bucky, I would love to, but I promised Vis that I would meet him ten minutes ago… I better go find him before he starts walking through walls looking for me! You two should go though...it’s a nice day for it!” with a wave she left the room that had suddenly fallen silent.

Raising his brows in that adorable way of his, Bucky cleared his throat, “It **is** a beautiful day… the snow is melting fast, it’s not really cold at all, and... uh… what do ya say?”

“Sure. That sounds good. I’ll, just go grab a jacket. I’ll meet you back here?”

A broad grin stretched across his handsome face, “Great! I’ll be waiting!”

He watched as she left the room and exhaled a sigh of contentment. Bucky had latched onto Dani from the start. He recognized something in her that he instantly bonded with. He couldn’t explain it, didn’t really understand it himself, but there was a kind of kinship or connection or simple acceptance that he had never felt with anyone else, not even Steve, since his escape from HYDRA. He had been enchanted by her from the moment that Stark had introduced her to the team. Brought on to help out with some of the more logistical research needs of the team, as well as her ability to hear and at times see through even the thickest of walls... she was a welcome breath of fresh air. As Tony put it, she was the ‘Sherlock Holmes’/’Super Girl’ of the team. Bucky found that prospect intriguing. He found the woman even more intriguing.

 

Dani was frantically searching her room for a missing glove… she usually didn’t let things like that bother her; which was good since it happened so often. But today, her mind was swirling round and round thinking over the things that Wanda had said. Did the whole team really think that she and Bucky were…did they think the two of them were having… oh God!!! How embarrassing!! She wasn’t exactly a prude, but she did tend to keep her private life private. How would she face the others knowing what they **though** t they knew?!!!   And even worse… it wasn’t true!!! Wait! That’s not what she meant…or was it?   


Flustered into giving up her search for the missing glove, she pulled her jacket on and set off to meet Bucky. She approached the kitchen where she had left him; and as if on cue he stepped into view; his long dark hair framing his gorgeous features. He hadn’t shaved in a few days and his thick dark scruff complemented his steel blue eyes to perfection.

“Ready?!” he asked eagerly. She nodded and as he offered his arm she tucked her own under his and rested her hand in the crook of his elbow.

As they exited the building, Steve, Sam and Scott all smiled, greeting them happily.

“Are you going to join us Dani?” Sam was the first to ask, still amazed that the petite blonde seemed so comfortable with the often times grumpy "tin-man", but was still quite shy with the rest of the guys, except maybe Clint.

“Oh no! I’m afraid I can’t even throw a baseball with any accuracy; I wouldn’t stand a chance with a snowball!”

“We can always use a cheerleader,” Clint joined the group, slightly out of breath.

Bucky spoke up, “We are going for a quick walk around the lake. Take advantage of this nice winter day.”

All four of the other men lifted their brows slightly, nodding in unison, knowing full well that “scenery” was the last thing on Bucky’s mind. Sam considered asking if he could join them, just to be a pain in the butt…then thought better of it.

Steve patted his friend on the back, “Sounds like a good idea… We’ll see you two a little later!” The look he gave Bucky was friendly enough, but they had known each other a very long time and it was clear that Steve was reminding Bucky that Dani was a protégé of Tony’s and therefore should not be dallied with.

Returning Steve’s pat, with a little more vigor than he probably needed to, Bucky said, “Yep, will do!” as he reached across his body and lightly touched Dani’s soft, warm hand with his cool metal one, then led the way down the path.

 

They walked side by side for several minutes without talking, when suddenly Dani spoke in an excited whisper, “Oh! Look! Look at the deer!”

Bucky leaned closer to her, pointing as he spoke softly in her ear, “Do you see the young ones, standing back beyond the tree line?”

Squinting adorably, she squeezed his arm, “Ohhhhhh… yes! They are so little... and thin! Do they get enough to eat around here?”

Laughing he assured her, “Yes... there is enough natural vegetation that, unless it is a particularly harsh winter, they should be just fine.” He looked into her soulful blue eyes and nearly gasped at how beautiful she was; light blonde hair blowing gently in the soft breeze, the rosy glow on her cheeks and slightly plump lips that begged to be kissed. He couldn’t seem to look away.

Reaching up to touch her nose, she asked in a hushed tone, “What? Do I have something on my face?” as she ran her fingers across her mouth and down her chin.

“No!!” he chuckled. “No. You look… perfect.”

“Oh…” the color instantly rose in her cheeks. Dani was feeling quite warm, despite the cool breeze that had begun to pick up. She stuck her hands in her pockets and looked away, still haunted by her earlier musings.

“Dani? Are you okay?”

With a self-conscious smile, she decided to just dive right in. “Bucky… ummm… did you know that Wanda and I guess pretty much the whole team, they seem to think that you and I are … that we… that we’re a ‘couple’?” she raised both hands giving him the ‘quote’ sign, wanting to make it clear what she meant.

He could tell that she was truly surprised and it appeared that the thought had not really occurred to her before (which was somewhat disheartening) and he didn’t want to embarrass her so he fought back the smile that threatened and put on his best ‘surprised’ look asking, “Really?!! What makes you say that?”

“Wanda!! She told me that just a little while ago! I didn’t know what to say to her…”

“huh…” was all he could come up with. In truth he was all for making the ‘rumors’ true, but she had never given him any sign that she wanted that and he was perfectly willing to bide his time, confident that the day would come.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,’ he figured any comment was better than none.

“I’m not worried; exactly… it’s just that… I’m embarrassed!”

Giving her a baffled look he asked in all sincerity, “Why?”

“Bucky!!! They think we are _sleeping together_! I mean, we haven’t really known each other that long! Aren’t you a little embarrassed?”

“Me? No!! Why would I care if anyone or **everyone** thinks that I’m… you know, ‘with’ a beautiful woman like you? I’d be more proud than anything.”

She fought back the desire to tell him she would be proud to be with him too and then remembering who she was; she tried to explain. “Okay…look, you are all from the big city, or maybe just a lot more open to things than I am…I get that. I’m from a tiny town in the Midwest; my father was a Baptist preacher… I was raised a little different I guess. We don’t do things that way.”

“You don’t have sex in the Midwest?” he whispered, sounding convincingly shocked. He simply could NOT resist teasing her.

She rolled her head back and sighed, “Yes of course, people have sex… just not at the drop of a hat! Well... okay SOME people do, but not me!”

Bucky shook his head. Having **never** had a conversation quite like this one; he really didn’t know how to approach it. “What do you want to do about it? Have a team meeting and tell them they are all mistaken… which would probably embarrass at least **some** of them; or we could, just go ahead and have sex, which would pretty much solve the problem…”

Dani’s jaw dropped and she slugged him in the arm… “Bucky!!!!”

“What?? It’s not out of the realm of possibility…is it?” he knew he was treading on thin ice, but his curiosity and latent desire was getting the better of him.

They had been standing in the same spot for several minutes; Dani zipped up her jacket and started walking again.

“Dani?” he followed along. Shit. He hoped he hadn’t made her angry…he thought she would know he was teasing, mostly. “Are you angry at me?”

“No.”

That was it. No further discussion. Finishing their walk in what, for all appearances, was a comfortable silence, they did (out of habit?) stand quite close together in the elevator on the ride up to the 16th floor where the avenger’s private quarters started; only stopping once to let a couple of science geeks out on their floor.

When they arrived at Dani’s door, Bucky sighed, “I guess this is where we say goodbye. Will I see you later in the mess hall?”

After a brief hesitation, she spoke softly “No.” and his spirits plummeted. The look that crossed his face was heartbreaking. She reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Wait, Bucky, what I mean is… the answer to your question before? No, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.”

As her comment sunk in, a wide smile spread across his gorgeous face, his amazing blue eyes twinkling brightly.

“Oh! Well, that, that’s good to know.” He actually blushed, and Dani giggled. “I’ll save you a seat,” he winked before pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead and adding, “Hey listen… don’t worry about what Wanda was saying, okay? Nobody here is going to judge you for hanging out with me… I promise you that.”   He sounded convinced of it, and she believed him.

“Okay,” she grinned and started to step into her room, then stopped and stood on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. “See you later.”

……

 

As the team gathered in the cozy dining area set aside for the Avengers and ‘friends’ to share their meals, Wanda was quick to notice that Bucky and Dani walked in together, sat together during the meal and afterwards when the group moved to the media room to watch Christmas movies, there they were side by side again. She could hardly hide her smirk.

Later, during a break between movies, she cornered Dani in the ladies room.

“So… did you and Bucky have a nice walk?”

With an innocent look, Dani answered softly, “Yes, we did. Thank you for asking.”

“pffft!!! Tell me!! Tell me there is nothing going on between you two! OR, tell me what you really think of him…”

“What do I think of him? hmmm... Let me see…I think he is very kind and smart and funny and handsome and charming and AMAZING!!… is that what you want to hear?”

“ _aaaannnd_ … what’s he like in bed?” Wanda whispered in all seriousness.

“Wanda!! Oh my gosh!!” The things that came out of the younger woman’s mouth were more often a surprise than not.

At that moment, the main door to the bathroom opened and Natasha walked in, her flame red hair sparkling as the light hit it.

She smiled at them and looking around the room she whispered, “Is this a private meeting? I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“No, Natasha!!” Wanda was quick to assure her. “We were just chatting. You are always welcome, you know that!” Seeing the way the ‘Widow’s’ eyes rested on Dani, she added, “You have met Dani, haven’t you? The newest member of our happy little ‘family’?”

“Yes, we’ve met, but only briefly. How are you getting along with this odd assortment of grown children we call the Avengers?” she had a friendly smile on her face and sounded sincere. Dani decided she was going to like this woman, even if she was slightly intimidated by her.

“Well, so far so good. It’s not too very different from dealing with the men at the firm where I used to work. I think the ‘grown children’ syndrome must be a staple in the male genes!”

The three of them laughed in agreement, then finished their business and headed back to join the men for the next movie; “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. Natasha groaned, Wanda clapped her hands and Dani smiled as she returned to her spot next to Bucky, promising him that he would enjoy this particular holiday movie.  
  


Taking a seat behind and slightly to the right of Bucky and Dani, Natasha watched with great interest as the soldier she knew so well and had been, at times, quite intimate with; appeared to be completely charmed by the pale blonde beside him. She couldn’t understand the minute ache that started the moment she saw Bucky smile at the woman by his side… exactly the way he used to smile at her. She had no idea how or when these two had become so cozy, but there was no denying the sting of jealousy that stabbed at her chest seeing them together.

Several minutes into the movie, Bucky nonchalantly put his arm behind Dani on the back of her seat, and as he turned his head in that direction, he noticed Natasha, watching him. He sucked in a quick breath and almost moved his arm, but instead, he whispered something in Dani’s ear, making her giggle as he returned his attention to the screen.

Later on, during one of Dani’s favorite scenes, she was laughing so hard that Bucky hugged her close giving her a squeeze, getting as much of a kick out of her as he was the movie…. Natasha chose that moment to lean forward and rest her hand on his arm. “Reminds me of the time you and I were on a mission in St. Petersburg!! Remember the street festival and squirrel float?!!”

Dani turned to look at her and simply smiled, while Bucky fought the urge to grit his teeth as he whispered, “uhhh... yeah, I guess,” Quickly turning away. In truth he remembered that mission very well. It was during one of those periods that he and Natalia were particularly ‘close’. He wondered what the hell the fiery red-head was up to. The two of them had long since gone their separate ways once and for all; at least that was the impression he’d gotten from their final conversation before his escape from HYDRA and subsequent time he had been with the Avengers and then in Wakanda. When he re-joined the group and found her at the new compound… he had no expectation of, or any desire to rekindle that part of their relationship.

Leaning back in her seat, Natasha felt it again, that sting of loss. She didn’t like this feeling; not in the least. She spent the rest of the movie pouting, her eyes boring holes in the heads of the couple seated in front of her. It was unlike her to be so petty, but she hated losing at anything and she felt like she might have lost this one, for good.

As the movie ended and the group was breaking up, Sam made a weak attempt to whip up a poker game, but it seemed that it had been a tiring week for everyone, as there were no takers and he was secretly relieved that he could just call it a night.  
  


Bucky walked with Dani back to her apartment and as they reached her door he stood there as Dani turned a light on inside and moved to stand a few feet from him, arms crossed in front of her, as if she was cold… or nervous. He stepped inside and looked around her large outer room (each team member had their own ‘apartment’ of sorts, with a large outer living space complete with a living area, dining area and a small kitchenette complete with mini-fridge to keep their individual favorite snacks on hand. There was an equally large bedroom; with a lush spa-like bathroom, walk-in closet and a small sitting area for reading or whatever.)

“I love what you’ve done with the place,” he teased. She still hadn’t unpacked most of the things she’d brought with her; even some of her clothes could be seen peeking out of boxes on the floor.

She rolled her eyes and looked around, slightly embarrassed. “I know. It’s a mess. I still feel like I’m in some kind of crazy dream and I’m going to wake up any minute, back at my brother’s apartment. I guess it really is time to decide if this is where I belong and commit to making it work…”

Moving to stand near her, idly reaching to push a strand of hair from her face, Bucky seemed confused, “I… I guess I thought that this WAS your choice; that this is where you want to be. Is that not true?” He couldn’t read the look on her face as she answered.

“Oh! It is! I mean, I really like it here. You have all been so warm and welcoming… Not that I didn’t love what I was doing before, I just felt … I don’t know…out of place? And I had some personal stuff…It’s hard to explain.” Bucky thought maybe he knew exactly what she meant, but didn’t say anything. “Then one day Tony knocked on my door and offered me a position here. He’s sort of hard to refuse,” she grimaced then smiled.

Remembering what Steve had said to him before he and Dani had taken their walk earlier, he had to ask, “How did that happen? I mean, did you know him before, or did one of his minions tell him about this gorgeous blonde with very interesting crime fighting abilities who was looking for something new?”

“Oh…well, we sort of knew each other by proxy; it was our fathers who had worked together a few times before Howard was killed. I guess Tony must have felt sorry for me when my dad died several years ago. He contacted me at the time and has continued to do so occasionally since then. I never expected him to offer me a job though… “

Apparently she didn’t know the whole story of Howard’s death and he tried not to react to her innocent statement. Looking at the clock on the wall, and not wanting to overstep any kind of “Midwest, preacher’s daughter boundary’, he sighed, “It’s getting late. I should probably let you get some rest. I know I could use some shut-eye.” In truth, he hadn’t felt this ‘awake’ since he came out of the deep freeze in Wakanda.

“Yeah, it is about that time.” Pausing for a moment she added, “Bucky…thank you.”

“For what?”

“Thank you for… spending so much of your time with me. I know you could be doing other things with other people. I don’t mean to take advantage of your kindness.”

“What? No! I mean, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be spending my time with... Your taste in movies is questionable, but you’re okay… for a girl.”

She swatted his shoulder playfully, “Oh gee! Thank you!”

“It’s true! You are most definitely okay… and a girl...” he stepped closer and she grinned up at him, “and a very pretty one too.” She looked away and he was surprised, not for the first time, by her reaction. She HAD to be accustomed to men complementing her, a lot. But here she was, blushing again; her bashfulness acting as a lure drawing him in. Putting his hands on her waist and gently pulling her closer, his breath was warm on her face as he studied her eyes; wanting to taste her sweet lips but not sure he should even try when **she** suddenly made the decision for him, lifting her lips to his.

_Soft… sweet… warm… tender… delicious_... All words that crowded his brain as their lips met. His pulse quickened as Dani wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close, not wanting him to stop. _Stop? He really should stop... In a minute_. Just another minute of her supple body pressed to his, her lips parting to allow his tongue entry… her mouth eagerly accepting as he explored every corner. His hands had begun to roam up and over her back and continued on as if they had a mind of their own. When a soft moan escaped her lips, he almost lost control but managed to pull his mouth free from her neck where he had been nibbling the tender skin he found there.

Putting on the breaks, he gently pulled back, breathing heavy and shaking his head.

“I’m sorry…” his voice was raspy with desire, “I think… wow! I think we should maybe stop right there.”

“Oh God! Bucky, I’m sorry… Please I, I didn’t…” Dani was mortified … hadn’t she **just** been lecturing him on how ‘proper’ she had been raised and then she practically throws herself at him! He must think she was a liar or an idiot…she wasn’t even sure which would be worse.

Cupping her face in his hands, his eyes searching hers, he spoke from his heart, “Dani, you are so sweet. And I … I’m not.” She tried to say something, but he forged ahead. “I **know** that you are attracted to me, and that you maybe don’t feel quite ready for all of this,” he glanced toward the bedroom door, “and apparently **everyone** knows how I feel about you...”

“Bucky,” Dani whispered, feeling foolish; as if she was disappointing him, as much as herself.

“Danica, listen to me. We are both adults; we both have baggage and issues and stuff to deal with… and we don’t have to follow any pre-set timelines for dating or having sex or whatever people do these days. We get to do things however we want, in whatever way we feel is right for both of us. OK? All I really need is for you to be honest with me. Please tell me, do you **want** us to be together? You know, like a real couple?”

Dani, whose knees were still weak from the moment of passion brought on by their “first kiss”, moistened her lips and spoke in a shaky voice, “Yes…I do want that. Of course I do! I just didn’t think...”

Releasing a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding, Bucky smiled, pulling her into his arms, “Good. Okay then, we do that. No pressure, no right or wrong, just us, doing what we think is best for us.” With a twinkle in his eyes he added, “Prepare yourself to be properly courted by a big oaf who may have forgotten how.”

“Bucky, no! You don’t have to do anything…”

“ _I want to._ I want to treat you like the special person that I believe you are. Ok?” he gave her his best lowered brow look.

Giggling, she put her hands on his chest, her gentle smile instantly melting his heart, “Okay ya big oaf! Give it your best shot!”

Grinning from ear to ear he asked, “Alright then, how about tomorrow night we go on a real date? Away from here, on our own, nobody we know watching our every move. How does that sound?”

“That sounds wonderful!’

“Great. I’ll pick you up at 6:30 and we’ll drive into the city and have a nice dinner.”

“That would be perfect. I can’t wait!” Dani was so happy she could hardly contain her joy.

Standing there, still holding each other in a somewhat casual embrace, Bucky nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll take off now so you can get some rest; I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before walking to the door. “Good night Dani.”

_“Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go”_ , those words echoed through her mind, screaming to be set free even as Dani forced herself to respond sweetly, “Good night.”

Stepping into the hall Bucky pulled the door to, then stood there staring at the highly polished piece of oak for more than a minute. He hadn’t released his hold on the handle yet, so he knew the lock hadn’t engaged. An argument raged behind his expressive eyes with his desire winning out in the end as unable to resist he pushed the door open with a groan. Surprising Dani who hadn’t moved from the spot where he had left her, he reached her in two quick steps, growling, “Five minutes. Just five more minutes, please.”

Laughing, the smile returned to her face, “Ten… I’ll give you ten.”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

The next day dawned bright and sunny; however snow was in the forecast for the next several days along with dipping temperatures. Bucky woke with a smile on face, having dreamt of Dani and the delicious scent of her. He found himself wondering what it would be like waking up next to her when his phone buzzed angrily.

Seeing that it was Steve, at 7:00 on a Saturday morning… he didn’t have a good feeling about this call… at all.

“Barnes,” was all he said as he held the phone near, hoping for the best.

“Morning Buck. Did I wake you?”

“No. I was just… lost in thought. What’s up?”

“There’s a situation in Odessa…Tony wants a team to head that way ASAP.”

“And of course he wants me to go…”

“Yes, you, Natasha, Clint and myself. Is that a problem?”

After a brief pause, Bucky sighed, “No.”

“Good, wheels up in forty-five. You better grab some breakfast.”

“Steve… any idea how long this operation might take?”

“It’s hard to say. Two, maybe three days, plus flight time. Does that help?”

“No. That really does NOT help.” Bucky grumbled, “I’ll be there,” hanging up, the picture of dejection. He pulled on his clothes, checked his ‘go bag’ and went straight to Dani’s room. Tapping lightly on her door, he tried to figure out how he was going to tell her that their first ‘date’ had to be put on hold. After knocking a second time with no response, even though he didn’t like doing it, he spoke to the A.I. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., do you know where Dani is?”

“Not precisely Sgt. Barnes. Miss Lancaster left quite early this morning with Miss Maximoff. Breakfast out and Christmas shopping I believe they said.”

“Damn it! Okay… thank you.”

“You are quite welcome sir. May I help you with something else?”

Bucky was deep in thought. He didn’t want to leave without trying to explain to her and at least say good bye in person…but he didn’t see any way he could pull off either of those unless she walked through the front door in the next few minutes.

“Sergeant Barnes?” F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke again.

Startled, he jumped a bit, “Yeah... what?”

“Is there anything else you need?”

Wheels spinning, he suddenly got a crazy idea. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you… would you deliver a message for me? Not to everyone; a private message for Miss Lancaster?”

“Of course, that would be no problem. What is your message?”

With a sigh, he leaned against the door to her room, brushing the hair from his eyes. Before he started, he asked again, “You’re sure that no one else will receive this message, not even Stark?”

“That is correct... only Miss Lancaster will receive the message. No one else will have access.”

“Okay then, here goes:

_Hi beautiful. By the time you get this message I will be in the air on my way to Odessa. Not what I expected to be doing today. I am so sorry that I won’t be able to keep our date tonight; I was really looking forward to it. I promise to make it up to you when I get back; Steve thinks we will be home in just a few days if everything goes right. I…” he paused for a moment, considering how he should end his note, and finally continued, “I miss you already. Is that crazy? Take care of yourself and I’ll see you soon.”_

“Is that it Sgt. Barnes?” He nodded, and then, not sure if the A.I. could see him or not, he said, “Yes… that’s the end of the message. Could you do one more thing for me?”

“Of course.”

“Please, order flowers and have them delivered to her today **, with** the message. Would that be possible?”

“Of course Sgt. Barnes. That will be no problem.”

“Great… thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

“You’re welcome sir. Good luck with your mission.”  
  


Bucky nodded again, then made his way to the kitchen to grab whatever was left on the buffet that he could eat quickly or take with him on the quinjet. Once on board, he had little to say as he listened to the mission details with a frown on his face. When Steve finished, Bucky mumbled something about being tired and found a seat near the back, where he settled down and closed his eyes, not wanting to talk.

After a couple of hours, Steve handed the jet over to Clint, moving to the back to sit next to his old friend.

“What is it Buck? What’s got you so grumpy?”

Slowly opening his eyes, Bucky squinted at the man next to him, “It’s nothing. I’m just… I had plans for tonight that did not involve flying half way around the world in any of the scenarios that I had in mind.”

Stifling a grin, Steve nodded his understanding. “I take it your plans were with Danica? She seems really nice, a little shy. I’m sure she understands that you really had no choice but to cancel your date. Did she take it badly?’

“Well, that’s just the thing Steve…” Bucky stressed the Cap’s name, clearly putting some of the blame on him, “I didn’t even get to explain it to her. She and Wanda left early and…” he sighed deeply, “I know… I know she will understand, but I still feel awful about it. And yeah, she **is** nice. Really nice.”

Not sure what he could say to make things any better, Steve patted him on the back and moved back up front to talk with the others.

\-------------

 

A light snow had begun to fall from the overcast skies above. The air felt moist and heavy, the wind biting and growing stronger. Wanda and Dani pulled into the parking garage that the Stark compound generously provided for its employees, finding a spot as close to the doors as they could. Their laughter and happy chatter filled the air as they removed packages from the trunk, loading their arms full of gifts and decorations and various purchases. They made their way to the living quarters, stopping first at Dani’s room; dropping all of their goodies on the couch, as they pulled their coats off and took turns freshening up in the bathroom. Finally they set to the business of sorting through the bags, determining whose was whose and admiring the items that they had bought for the others while carefully hiding what they had found for each other.

A message arrived on Dani’s tablet at the precise moment there was a knock on the door. When she opened up, she found the weekend receptionist holding a beautiful bouquet of aromatic flowers, smiling as if she knew something that no one else did.

“These were just delivered downstairs… I was given explicit instructions that they be brought to you immediately and to let you know there is a message waiting for you on your tablet.” Grinning, the older woman handed them over, looking around at the disarray. “Still settling in I see. I would be happy to help you get organized if you would like. Getting organized is kind of my specialty.”

“Oh!! That is so kind of you Sally! I know it is a mess right now, but I plan on working on that soon. I’ll… uh… let you know though, if I find that I need help. Thank you so much!”

Placing the vase on the coffee table, Dani ushered the woman towards the hallway, wishing her a nice day and sending her on her way. Still amazed at the gorgeous array of tropical flowers, she quickly peeked to see if there was a card…there wasn’t. Suddenly she remembered the message and grabbed her tablet from the small writing table where it sat. The message was marked private from Stark Industries…and as she opened it, a mug-shot-like photo of Bucky appeared. She pressed the start button and heard F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s official sounding voice: _“The following is a personal voice message from Sgt. James Barnes to Miss Danica Lancaster. Violators of privacy laws as set forth in the Stark Employee Guidelines will be prosecuted to the fullest.” At this point in the recording, the message continues with the voice of Tony Stark, “…and I will personally kick some ass. Please press the tab key to continue.”_ Dani was starting to get a bad feeling and when Wanda touched her arm she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Dani, do you want me to leave?”

“No…well, maybe I’ll just step into the bedroom for a second. I’m sure it’s nothing.” She sat on the edge of her bed, legs trembling, and hit play. _“Hi beautiful…”_ Bucky’s soft semi-raspy voice poured from the tablet, the sound of it making her smile. As she listened, she could hear the regret in his voice and was touched by his concern. She was disappointed of course, and anxious that he might be in danger, but she exited her room with a warm smile on her face.

“He…um… just listen.” She hit the play button again so Wanda could hear the message and the same look crossed her face.

“Oh… Dani I am so sorry about tonight!… but my goodness; _how sweet and precious_ is it that he thought of doing of all of this, even at a moment’s notice? He really likes you... a LOT!”

Holding the tablet close to her chest, Dani confessed, “I like him too… a LOT!”

 

The two of them hugged and got back to sorting through their packages. Afterwards, they gathered Wanda’s bags and took them to her room, grabbed a snack from the kitchen then went their separate ways, planning to meet up again later at dinner.  


Returning to her apartment, that now felt strangely empty without the enthusiastic Scarlet Witch to chat with, Dani turned on the television, found the Hallmark channel and let the Christmas romance movies play in the background while she set to work, ‘organizing’. If she was going to continue to have ‘guests’ she should at least make the space presentable!   After a couple of hours, she surveyed all that she had done, pleased with the results. All of the moving boxes had been emptied, flattened down, and stored out of the way; with their previous contents now in their proper places. A handful of collectables that were special to her were now at home and safely on display while several of her favorite framed black and white photos that her brother had taken were strategically hung on the wall. After that she had taken all of the items she had purchased that morning to her bedroom and found a nice cubby hole to keep them out of the way until she got around to wrapping them.

Next… she planned to set up the small Christmas tree she had found on sale that morning, in the corner of her living room. She had found lots of ‘spare’ ornaments in a storage closet that Friday had led her to several days earlier. Opening the small fridge, she pulled out a Coke, popping the top and chugging down several swallows of the sugary brown liquid that burned all the way down… her favorite drink in the world! Deciding that it really was time for a break, she sat on the couch, turning her attention to the drama that played out in front of her, knowing that it would all work out in the end, (she had watched **dozens** of these movies before) wondering if she would ever get her own happily ever after…maybe with one very strong, very handsome, very sweet Winter Soldier?

Winter Solder? Bucky!! Oh God!! She hadn’t even thought to send him a text thanking him for the beautiful flowers! Grabbing her phone she opened her contact list, then hesitated.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Yes Miss Lancaster?”

“uh… hi. You delivered a message to me earlier from Sgt. Barnes. Do I need to respond using my tablet, or uh… can I just use my phone?” Dani was well aware that there were multiple layers of security that came into play when working in or around the compound. Suddenly, her phone pinged several times.

“I have just created and added his name and information, along with the rest of the team, to your “secure contacts” list. Is there anything else I can do for you miss?”

Dani chuckled, “No. Not at the moment. Thank you so much.”

“You are very welcome. Good evening miss.”

Accessing the new list and pulling Bucky’s name up on her phone, she struggled to find the right words. Leaning close to the vase to inhale the delicious aroma of the flowers he had sent, she smiled to herself and dashed to the bathroom to check her hair and make-up, returning to snap a “selfie” that featured the bouquet with her peeking out around the petals; a silly grin on her face. Happy with the results, she typed:   


_“Hi Bucky!_

_Thank you for the amazing flowers and for taking time to leave a message for me._  
Please forgive my tardiness in sending this note of gratitude and believe that I am   
truly touched by your thoughtfulness. I’ll be honest and admit that I am disappointed   
about tonight, but only because I don’t get to spend time with you. I understand that   
these things happen and my hope is that, however long your mission takes, you come  
home safe and sound. 

_When you think of me, if you think of me, know that I’m missing you too._

_Dani”_  
  


She wanted to say so much more, but the harder she tried, the mushier it sounded and that was **not** what she wanted. Reading over it again, knowing she would never be satisfied with it, she hesitated for only a moment longer then hit the send button hoping for the best.

 

Later, as she joined Wanda and Vision in the dining room, it dawned on her that Natasha was among the members who were not present. So that meant she was probably with Steve, Clint and Bucky, though she couldn’t say that for sure; and she didn’t want to ask. After an enjoyable and relatively quiet meal of Tacos and Tamales with all the usual fixing’s and side dishes; she helped clear the table, load the dishwasher and wipe down the table and counters; then excused herself for the evening. She felt like a 3rd wheel and really wanted to get back to her room, maybe set up her Christmas tree.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us for a while?” Wanda felt bad leaving Dani on her own.

“I’m sure, but thank you for the offer. You two go ahead and enjoy some time together. I have plenty to keep me occupied; I promise you I’ll be fine!” After hugging both of them, she returned to her rooms.

A light shone through the window, catching her attention. Looking out, she was stunned by the winter wonderland that lay before her. Several inches of snow had fallen since she and Wanda had returned from their shopping spree. The clouds had cleared for the time being and the full moon cast its light on the white blanket below, making the night bright with its glow. It was a beautiful sight that took her breath away while simultaneously making her glad that she was inside safe and warm! Deciding she would wait until morning to work on her tree, she opted to change into some sweats and curl up in front of the t.v. A flash from her phone caught her eye and her heart raced as she saw that it was a text from Bucky:  


_“Hi gorgeous,_

_Thank you for understanding… and thank you even more for the photo (yes I_  
see you peeking around the petals!) I’m glad you like the flowers; they **are** pretty,   
but they pale in comparison to you. Is that cheesy? I don’t mean it to be. 

_I hope you and Wanda had a good time today. The two of you seem pretty close_  
and that’s a good thing, for both of you. We have all just settled in from the flight   
over. With the time difference, it’s very early morning here and already my brain is   
jumbled over which day it is. 

_Sleep tight little bug; sweet dreams._

_Bucky”_

As soon as Bucky sent that message, he wished it had been a little more… romantic. He wanted Dani to know how absolutely ‘shook’ he was (wasn’t that the phrase the kids used these days?) every time he thought of her.

In the time they had spent together, especially over the past few weeks, he had felt his defenses crumbling, allowing his emotions to surface and cloud his view of what was and was not wrong about him and right about the world and how the two might coexist. Dani had rekindled a desire in him to be a part of something; to belong. He had been drawn to her right from the start and now, after last night, he could almost feel the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders. Maybe he **could** be happy. He **could** share his feelings with someone and not feel as if he was being studied or judged. _He could love and be loved._

Yeah, okay, maybe he was jumping the gun a little, but there was no denying the strong emotional, physical, and yes, sexual attraction between them: and the fact that Dani was willing to explore their feelings was as much a surprise as it was a pleasure to discover. He was willing to take as much time as she needed and to do whatever it took to make her comfortable. He knew she would always be honest with him, and he had to be the same with her. He didn’t want to lie to her, not even by omission; so he knew he would have to discuss his time as the Winter Soldier with her at some point. And Natasha, who at this moment slept in a room a few doors down from his… there was an undeniable history there and if she and Dani were going to be working together at the compound, it was only fair that Dani know that story too. He suspected it might be better if it came from him and not Nat.

These thoughts and many others crowded his mind, questions that sparked other questions, with no answers in sight. Giving up on the possibility of getting any sleep, he rose from the bed he had been lying on fully clothed and grabbed his coat (specially made so he could wear it over his metal arm without straining the material or prohibiting his movements).

Exiting the hotel he pulled a cigarette from the pack he had bought when they first arrived in Odessa. Smoking was a habit that he was in complete control of. He could finish a pack a day for several days, and then stop cold turkey for a week or months or more with no cravings at all. He figured it was a by-product resulting from the super-soldier serum he had been pumped full of all those years ago. Looking around for evidence that anyone else was out and about at that hour, his mind was suddenly transported back to another time, another night in this frigid city by the Black Sea. He and Natasha, Natalia as he called her then, were working a mission, not exactly ‘together’ but seeking the same result.

They’d had a very strange relationship over the years, made even stranger by the years Bucky had spent in and out of cryo-stasis. He had watched her grow from a young girl being trained in the infamous red-room, reaching the status of Black Widow and earning her notoriety during her time there. They developed a love/hate relationship that continued for several years and even though their time had come and gone, the memories had not. How strange that sounded!! He remembered many of their exploits together, as well as the long cold nights with only each other to keep the frigid temperatures at bay.

Past. That was all in the past and that was where he wanted it, where he **needed** it to stay. Taking one last draw from his cigarette, he tossed it on the ground, not even bothering to crush it out as there was little danger of the ice packed sidewalk catching on fire. Returning to his room, he spotted a figure standing in the shadows down the hall. “Natalia?”

She stepped into the dim light, looking for all the world like a young girl; her long red locks falling down her back and around her face; her skin smooth and pale looking. No one would expect the powerhouse of strength and agility that she truly was.

“James, out for a smoke?” she spoke softly, with the familiarity of an old friend.

“Yeah..I, uh. I was just heading back in to catch a few winks…”

“Of course. Take advantage while you can.” She smiled at him in what could only be described as an inviting way. He noted the invitation, but graciously declined… with a cough.

“Right. Good idea. I’ll see you in a few hours.” Bucky fumbled with his key but finally got the door to open, “Good night Natasha.”

She bristled slightly, then smiled, “Good night James.” She barely finished speaking before he had closed the door and she heard the bolt lock slide into place. She read that message loud and clear, and with one last, wistful look, she returned to her own room.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

“Oh shit!!” the curse reverberated down the hall, followed by a scurry of grunts and groans accompanied by laughter.  

Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, would tell you that he had been walking down the hall, minding his own business, not looking for trouble or mischief of any kind when he was waylaid by Dani, who needed ‘just a little’ help getting her tree set up. Being the gentleman and all around friendly, helpful guy that he was, of course he was happy to do it.

They worked together figuring out which of the sections were in fact “A”, “B”, and “C”, read the directions that the manufacturer had so graciously included, made sure that the area of the room Dani had chosen was indeed spacious enough to allow the tree that she had purchased to stand properly and then set up the tree stand. Check, check, double check. Things went very wrong when, after all the parts were in place, Dani decided the tree needed to be moved a few inches to one side and away from the wall. It seems that neither of them realized that there was a small clip latch that needed to be engaged to actually hold the tree segments together safely. So, when Sam reached between the small branches and lifted from the upper part of the tree, section “A” came free from section “B”, which came as quite a surprise and in his effort to keep the light cords from coming dislodged, he reached for section “B” which then came free from section “C”… thus resulting in confusion and cursing and laughter.

Once the dust settled, both of them trying to take the blame for the mishap, they managed to reset the pieces and lock them in place, plugging in the attached lights to make sure they hadn’t been damaged in the melee’. As the tiny colorful bulbs came on, Dani smiled brightly and Sam nodded his approval, happy to have been of service.

“Alrighty!! Now, would you like some help with decorating this troublesome tree?”

“Oh Sam, that is so sweet of you, but I don’t want to keep you from anything… you’ve already helped with the most difficult part.”

Sam who was genuinely happy to be of service, also had an ulterior motive… he wanted to know what, if anything was going on between this pretty young thing and the Tin Man (as he often referred to Bucky).

“Hey… it’s no trouble at all. I’m really good at this stuff too. You will never see a tree that looks as fine as this one when I’m finished with it…” As soon as the words were out of his mouth his phone chirped and much to his dismay it was Tony asking Sam to make a quick run with him.

“Damn! I’m afraid that duty calls and I will need to leave the decorating in your capable hands.” Sam winked broadly.

“That’s fine. You be careful out there, and thank you again for all of your help,” Dani stepped closer to give him an appreciative hug.

“My pleasure. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when you finish it.”

Rolling her eyes, she laughed “No pressure!”

“None whatsoever,” he winked again, “See you later.”

Dani chuckled as Sam left the room… what a bundle of energy and silliness that man was!

 

Later on in the day, once she was finished with the tree, she set out a handful of other decorations, including a small nativity scene, a couple of gorgeous red and gold candles and two adorable snow-people to sit together under the Christmas tree. She set aside a beautifully decorated stocking, not quite sure where to put it and the wreath she had purchased while out with Wanda.

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed quickly, sharing dinner with the few team members who were in the building, spending a little time getting to know each of them. After a while, she returned to her room for a quick shower and plans to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. She tried very hard not to think about Bucky and what he might be up to. She understood that he was WORKING and that he probably could not just stop and call or text whenever he felt like it; and she didn’t want to bother him with texts of her own, so all she could do was ‘wonder’ how he was doing… or maybe…  


“F.R.I.D.A.Y.???” she spoke softly, still not used to carrying on a conversation with the “computer”.

“Yes Miss Lancaster?”

“I was wondering…and uh, I understand you may not able to tell me much for security reasons… but I was hoping you might be able to tell me…”

Gently cutting her off, the warm voice responded, “Sgt Barnes is in no immediate danger. The same is true of the other team members. They did have a bit of ‘action’ today, but none of them were injured and after Capt Rogers reported in, I believe their plans included food and a good night’s sleep. Does that set your mind at ease?”

Somewhat flustered, Dani replied, “ummm… yes. It does. Thank you. How did you know what I was going to ask you?”

Equipped with a distinctly human sounding laugh, F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded, “Women’s intuition. I hope I didn’t offend you?”

Dani giggled and assured her that she didn’t mind at all, thanking her for the information and wishing her a good night.

“Good night miss. Pleasant dreams,” the A.I. replied in a sweet voice.

 

Moving from her spot on the couch to her bedroom, Dani crawled in between the sheets, book in hand, flipping on the lamp and checking her phone that was now charging on the bedside table. No message from Bucky… but that was okay. He was safe and probably sleeping. The thought of him curled up in bed snuggled under a warm blanket made her cheeks grow warm as she had to admit to herself she wouldn’t mind terribly being under that blanket with him.

Lifting her arm, resting the back of her hand on her forehead she stared at the ceiling, hoping she wasn’t setting herself up for a broken heart. That WAS her M.O. after all. Meet a man, the least likely to please her family of course; become so emotionally involved with him that she was blinded to anything about him that might be considered ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ for her; give herself to him, heart, mind, body and soul only to be destroyed when he grows tired of her and/or her ‘odd’ abilities, and then leaves her in a heap of ashes on the floor. Her history with men was not impressive to say the least.

Sighing, she rolled over on her side, looking out the window she could see that it was snowing again. Several of the team members had mentioned going skiing on the coming weekend. She wasn’t very good at it, in fact she had only tried it once and was terrible, but she thought it would be fun to take a short trip with this group. Of course, she probably wouldn’t go if Bucky wasn’t home yet. Bucky…the mere thought of him made her smile. And why not? Although they had only known each other a relatively brief time, he had shown himself to be honest, kind, genuine, gentle, open minded and fair, to name a few of his attributes. And of course he was ridiculously attractive; tall and powerfully built with long legs and muscular thighs; his arms and chest were like solid rock while his well featured face was a masterpiece to behold and of course those eyes…amazing pools of blue that defied description. Stifling the groan of appreciation that rose in her throat, she decided that the next time he texted, she would mention the trip in her response, just to see if he was interested.

Feeling much sleepier than she had thought she was, Dani reached for the lamp and turned out the light, a heavy wash of sleep rolling over her as she gave way and closed her eyes with a gentle sigh.

\--------

 

Bucky was **b-o-r-e-d.** He didn’t like trouble per se, but he would prefer a good fight to this endless prattle… discussions that would no doubt END in violence. But Steve insisted on at least making an effort at diplomacy and he was, after all, the captain. As he scanned the room, noting the positions of each member of the opposition and how capable or not they appeared, he caught sight of a blonde bar-maid, who was blatantly staring at him. He stared back, not so much at her, as through her; his face showing no emotion, no appreciation, no interest, and yet she somehow construed that as an invitation to approach him.

She ambled up to him as he leaned against the bar, sipping occasionally from a drink of some non-descript alcohol that was basically flavorless and had no effect on his reflexes whatsoever. He WAS somewhat surprised at her audacity as she shoved her ample breasts against his chest, tilting her head coyly as she asked in her broken English, “Seeing something you like?”

Bucky considered his options, deciding the direct route was best, “No.”

The buxom blonde stepped back with a stunned look on her face, raising her arm to slap him. He caught her by the wrist mid-air and quietly said, “I don’t think so,” at which point the waitress yelled out, “Let go me you ugly asshole!!”

Several heads turned at once to look in their direction, Steve catching Bucky’s eye as he shook his head in disbelief and amusement. Apparently some of the locals failed to see the humor in the situation as they stood from their tables and began to descend on Bucky who was still holding the woman’s wrist.   Letting go of her, thinking that might defuse the situation, he was not expecting the woman to kick him HARD on the shin of his left leg.

“Son of a …” he cursed loudly, before one of the men in the group took a swing at him. Big Mistake. As Steve, Clint and Natasha looked on, Bucky managed to take down three of the men in one sweeping swing of the bar stool that sat next to him, then turned to pummel a couple of others before they all began to realize they were outmatched and started to scatter. Unfortunately, the men they were actually meeting with got very nervous and tried to make a hasty retreat as well; which of course was not the way this was going to go down. As the other Avenger’s joined in the melee, Clint winked at Bucky as if to say, “finally” and in a matter of moments, the whole thing had ended, with the local authorities arriving to take over the situation and Captain Rogers shelling out several bills to the bar owner to cover damages.   


Back at the hotel, Steve checked in with Tony, filling him in on the sloppy details of the arrest.

“Cap, did Barnes start it?” Tony seemed to always be looking for a reason to berate Bucky, a habit that drove Steve just a little crazy.

“No Tony. He really did not START anything. Not… really. You know how women react to him… he simply told this woman no and she didn’t like it and well, all hell broke loose.”

“Language, Cap, language.” Tony couldn’t help but snicker. “Alright… well, something else has come up just a short 3 hour hop from your current location. Spend the night where you are, if you think you can keep Barnes out of trouble and I’ll send you all the details so you can get on it in first thing in the morning. You should be home in two days, tops.”

“Great. Thanks Tony.”

“My pleasure. Rest well.” Tony shook his head as he ended the call. He knew that Bucky had been showing quite an interest in Danica… and he wasn’t sure he liked that idea. Not that he had any say in her private life, but he was responsible for bringing her to the compound and he didn’t want to see her get involved …. He stopped himself right there and sighed loudly. Pepper would tell him he should mind his own business. So that was what he was going to do, at least for now.  


\-------

 

**Text recd from Barnes, J.B**.  


_“Hey little bug,_

_How are things going there? We had a bit of excitement today, but nothing I... I mean ‘we’_  
couldn’t handle. Looks like Stark is sending us home the long way around, but we should   
be there in just a couple of more days.

_I’m embarrassed to admit how much I have been missing you. I can’t wait to hold you in my  
arms again, even if it’s only five minutes, or ten. Your choice. :)_

_I hope you and Wanda have managed to stay out of trouble - I sense that there is mischief  
brewing between the two of you! _

_Looking forward to finally having you all to myself…_

_Until then,  
 _Bucky”__  
  


Danica smiled at her phone, hoping no one at the table would notice, but of course they did.   


“Ohhhhhh… is that a love note from your soldier boy??” Sam asked in a sing song voice. “I’m sure he has all kinds of interesting stories to tell.”

“Sam!!” Wanda admonished him.

“What?!?” he asked, trying to sound innocent. “You know, the tin-man has been places and done and seen things that none of us ever will. I’m just guessing he has some amazing stories tucked away, that’s all.”

Dani smiled at him, not really sure what he was talking about, and to be honest, not really sure she wanted to know. Of course she knew about the Winter Soldier and his many years with HYDRA and all of that; but she was getting the impression that Bucky had some kind of secret that they wanted her to know, but weren’t willing to tell her themselves. You know what? It didn’t matter! He was coming home in couple of days and there was the ski trip and oh!! … she needed to let him know about the trip and determine whether or not he would like to join the others in Denver..

Excusing herself, she left the dining area and found a comfy spot in one of the many sitting areas set aside to read or have semi-private discussions.  
  


_“Hello Barnes, J.B._  
  


_All is well here, other than Sam being a little more goofy than usual. Wanda and I have been  
busy, but I can honestly say that there has been little to no mischief involved… so far._

_I heard that you would be home in a couple of days and I am so happy, but I need to ask you_  
something… Everybody here is making plans to travel to Denver for a weekend of skiing; scheduled   
to leave the very day you should arrive home and I am wondering if I go, could you join us (me) there???

_If you would rather not, please tell me, and I will stay put and wait for you, and be perfectly content  
doing so. As it turns out, I have been missing you quite a lot as well, and I can’t wait to BE in your arms…   
for 15 minutes, at least!!! (insert blush here) __J_  
  
Seriously, let me know what you prefer and I’m happy to do whatever. 

_XOXO  
 _Dani”__  
   


She sent her response and hoped that he would let her know how he felt about the trip soon, so she could plan accordingly.   


A few hours later, when Bucky read her text, he grinned to himself, picturing the two of them sitting by a roaring fire, drinking something hot and staring into each other eyes. Not that he couldn’t ski… it was just that he had spent too many years living in frozen desolation to really desire spending any more time in that environment than necessary. In truth, if the rest of the team was going to be away for the weekend, he would love to spend it alone with Dani at the compound; however, it seemed like she wanted to make the trip, so he was willing to bite the bullet, for her.  


When he told the others about it, Natasha and Clint both passed on the idea, having made other plans, but Steve agreed it would be nice to spend a few days ‘off’ with friends at a vacation resort. Pulling his phone out, he whipped up a quick reply:  


_“Little bug,_

_Steve and I will be joining you all at the lodge. Clint and Nat already have plans. It may be later in the_  
day when we arrive, but save me a spot next to you…   
  
… you know I will get there as soon as possible.

_Really, really can’t wait to see you.  
Don’t forget your gloves,_

_Bucky”_

 

When he received her next text, it consisted of one word “ _yay!”_ followed by a full line of emoji’s with smiles and halos, blowing kisses and hearts and more smiles.   He guessed that meant she was glad that he had agreed to go. He almost showed it to Steve and then thought better of it. The last thing any of them needed was a little more ammunition to tease Dani with… or him for that matter!

 

\-------

 

Two days later, the group in New York climbed aboard a Stark jet and set off for a fun-filled weekend in the mountains. As soon as they were leveled out and given permission to use their devices, Dani plugged in her I-pod and leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed. She did NOT enjoy flying and didn’t care to see what was going on until they landed and were disembarking from the plane. She and Wanda had been up late the night before, watching chick flicks and packing ‘just the right outfits’, so no one even gave it a second thought. None of them needed to know she was terrified of heights… and planes… and maybe ski lifts?? Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all…

 


	4. Chapter 4

The lodge was absolutely beautiful and as it turned out; it belonged to Stark Corporation and was not yet officially ‘open’ to the public.  It was well staffed, well appointed, well equipped and was currently occupied by only a handful of other guests – all of whom where friends or acquaintances of Tony & Pepper. Dani was escorted to her room and quickly freshened up, then joined the others gathered in the lobby. It was a large room, buzzing with excitement as smaller groups were formed so that everyone would have at least one “ski buddy” at all times. Tony had warned them that there were several areas that had not yet been ‘developed’ and were quite dangerous, even for the most seasoned of skiers. There was a simple map on the wall there in the lobby that pointed out these areas and suggested strongly that they be avoided at all costs; as well as large warning signs posted as one approached the danger zones.

Dani’s appointed buddy was Scott Lang, who freely admitted that you could fit what he knew about skiing in the palm of his hand… when his hand was ‘ant-size’. They agreed that the kiddy slopes would be sufficient excitement for them to start with. With those arrangements taken care of, each of them returned to their rooms to get into their “ski clothes” and meet back in the lobby.

In her room, Dani checked her phone and considered sending Bucky a text, but decided she should try her luck on skis FIRST, and then let him know how it went… As she grabbed her gloves, she looked around one more time, a smile on her face.   Back outside, as the others made the short trek to the ski lifts, she and Scott watched wistfully, then joined arms as they went around to the back of the lodge where the “beginner, beginner’s” slopes were set up. They spent a lot of time laughing at each other and themselves, but after about an hour, they both felt ready to move on to the simple beginner’s slope.  
  


Scott was a charming man with many, many amusing and some downright hysterical stories to tell and he was really a lot of fun to spend time with. She didn’t know if he was ‘friends’ with Bucky, but she thought that they would really get along well, given half a chance. After another hour or so, they agreed that it was time to go in and find something hot to drink. After all, they were really struggling to just stay on their feet, (which was hard work); while the others were no doubt cruising along on the snow, taking it easy… that was how Scott phrased it anyway!  
  


About 30 minutes later, the others started straggling in, cheeks rosy and eyes glistening with enjoyment. The whole group gathered together in the great room; drinking hot chocolate or hot toddy’s or whatever their pleasure might be. Tony played the part of happy host, as he made sure to stop and visit with everyone present. When he approached Dani and Scott, he smiled brightly at her, asking how she was enjoying herself so far.

“Well, Scott has been very patient with me and speaking for myself, I can honestly say that I’ve had a lovely morning! Unfortunately, I am not at all ready for ‘real’ thing just yet!!”

“I see, Lang kept you entertained did he?” (The two of them, Tony and Scott, were not exactly friends, but had developed a mutual respect of sorts).

“uhhh… yes.. You could definitely say that!!” Dani could not stop the giggle; thinking of a particular tumble that the two of them had taken together.

Tony nodded his approval, thinking she might be better off with Lang than…

“Very good then. Maybe the two of you will be ready for a lift ride soon?”

Scott looked at Dani and they both shook their heads, “Maybe not!!” they laughed in unison.   Tony patted Scott on the back and spoke to the room…

“Okay gang... I am the old man here and I feel the need for a little rest. You are all free to go and do whatever you feel like. I suggest we re-convene here around 2:30 for another round of group skiing, if you are all agreeable. Until then, relax and enjoy yourselves.” Everyone mumbled their approval and a few of them, including Scott, started suiting up to go back outside, to ski or explore or throw snowballs at each other; whatever their mood was. Dani, who was feeling just a little homesick, decided to return to her room to make a couple of short calls to her mom and brother. Then she typed up a text for Bucky.  
  


_“Hi Bucky!!_

_It’s me!! It occurred that I should probably confess to you that I am not exactly a ‘skier’._  
Not at all. Far from it in fact. This may lead you to wonder why the heck I wanted to come   
on this trip. My answer is… I don’t know!! I think the ‘idea’ of being tucked away in the   
mountains in a warm and cozy lodge, fire blazing and enough hot chocolate to drown a moose…   
well, it sounded really nice. Especially when I thought of you being by my side.

_In reality, I_ **have** had a wonderful time so far. It seems Scott Lang is only slightly more experienced   
on the slopes than I am, so we worked together this morning just trying to learn to stay upright on   
our skis!! Needless to say, he kept me laughing so hard I didn’t notice much whenever my butt hit   
the cold snow packed ‘humps’ that we were trying to conquer!   
  
Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with you. I’m sort of really missing you right now. A lot. Can’t   
wait for you to get here!   
Until then… how about you go ahead and CYK? (consider yourself kissed… just in case you didn’t know…)

_Dani “Not quite ready for the Olympics” Lancaster_ _J_ _“_

 

Afterwards, she returned to the great room, which housed a couple of large well stocked book shelves. Choosing the first one that caught her eye she curled up in one of the overstuffed leather chairs and lost herself in the well worn pages.

 

\------

When Bucky read her text, he felt a slight twang of jealousy. Scott Lang was a really nice guy, and he felt sure that he would not take advantage of Dani, and that he would keep an eye on her. He just wished that it could have been him that was teaching her to stand on skis, and how to fall without hurting herself and how to stop without falling to begin with and … okay. It sounded like she was not quite ready to hit the slopes, so he would still be able to show her a few things when he got there…which should be in another three hours or so.  
  


Staring out of the window as they cruised along above the clouds, he couldn’t hold back the soft smile that thoughts of her conjured up. He closed his eyes and pictured her bundled up in her ‘snow suit’, her smile, her laughter, a gleam in her eyes meant solely for him. Then he imagined the two of them inside, snuggled together on a big comfy couch, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close as she rested one hand on his thigh and the other on his chest as she leaned into him. He could almost feel her warmth, smell her perfume, hear her soft sigh as he (very smoothly) tilted her head up to receive his lips in a possessive, passionate kiss….  
  


“Buck?” came the intrusive voice of Clint Barton. “Chief, you okay?” Bucky had no idea why Clint had taken to calling him ‘Chief’, and he had never admitted to anyone, but he kind of liked the name…

“Yeah Clint, what’s up?”

“I was just about to ask you the same thing!! You look like a man literally lost in a dream…”

Slightly embarrassed that he had been caught off guard, the soldier nodded at his friend and admitted, “Yeah. I guess I was daydreaming there for a minute.”

“Let me guess… Danica?” Clint smiled, knowing full well that nothing else could have brought that goofy ‘sweet’ look to Bucky’s face.

Giving him a guilty look and quickly looking around to see if anyone else was listening, Bucky nodded. “Yeah. Seems like she has cast some kind of spell over me… I just haven’t been myself since she showed up.”

Clint coughed to cover his laugh, “Well, if it is a spell, I hope it never wears off, because I think she has brought the ‘real you’ out of hiding. That goofy smile looks kinda good on you…”

Bucky gave him a grimace and the two of them laughed out loud, stopping when Natasha joined them.

“Hey you two… what’s so funny?”

Trading glances, both men shook their heads as Clint explained, “Sorry Nat… it’s a man thing”. That earned them both a frown of disapproval.

“I see. Well I just wanted to wish both of you a happy holiday. I’ll be visiting a friend on the West Coast through the first of the new year. In fact, Steve is going to make a quick stop to drop me off there. I don’t have anything at the compound that I need, so no need for me to return there.”

“That sounds good Natasha. Hope you have a great visit. Get some rest or have some fun… just stay out of trouble, okay?” Clint thought he was so funny…

“Right,” Bucky added. “Have a good time.”

She really wanted to have a word in private with Bucky, but it seemed as if that was not going to happen.  
  


Once they had dropped Nat off and returned to the compound, Bucky was anxious to get back underway, throwing a few things in a small duffle bag and finding Steve in just a matter of minutes.

Chuckling in that special way of his, Steve smirked, “Buck, listen…we HAVE to give the ground crew time to refuel and do their safety check. It’s a requirement, even for the Avenger’s. It won’t take long…we’ll be there in just over an hour!”

Heaving a sigh, Bucky headed back up to his room where he stripped off his shirt and reapplied deodorant and cologne. He considered trimming his scruff down a bit, but he had an inkling that Danica really liked it a little fuller, so…no, he left it the way it was. Donning a fresh shirt and running a comb through his hair, he picked up his bag and once again joined Steve in lobby.

“Great timing my friend! I just got the call that we are clear to take off.”

“What the hell? Let’s go!!” Bucky was, as always, a man of few words.

\--------

 

No one knew where she was. “ **Shit, shit, shit**!” Dani moaned softly as she realized her phone was back at the lodge, sitting on the bedside table charging. What had she been thinking? And how the heck did she end up in this mess? Reaching down to touch her ankle, she yelped and swore loudly. She didn’t think it was broken, but it hurt badly enough that there was little chance she could climb out of the steep ravine she found herself in, and no way that she could walk back to the lodge. Sitting several yards from her was the rabbit she had heard squeaking in fear earlier. A sound that most of the others would not have heard, but with her enhanced ability it had grabbed her attention and she HAD to see what it was and if she could help. The creature had ceased its cries when they had both gone off the path and ventured too close to the loose snow at the edge of the chasm. They tumbled down the hill together, Dani’s shoe catching for a moment on a jagged rock, twisting the holy crap out of her ankle.

Earlier, when the others had regrouped and gone back out for another hour or so of skiing, she had opted to grab a pair of the snow shoes that were stacked just outside the lobby. Tony had given her a look of disbelief and when she explained that she didn’t feel confident enough to ski, but she figured she could explore a little if she wore them. He agreed that it would be okay and even allowed that she could manage going on her own, as long as she promised to stay on the marked trails… Yeah, If only. And now, here she sat, cold and getting colder, a shiver running down her back as she realized it would be turning dark soon and…

“Stop it,” she chastised herself. The skiers would be back at the lodge soon and when they noticed she had not returned, they would come find her. But how long would that take? How long before they realized she wasn’t in her room? How long before they started to worry? Pulling the warm collar of her coat up higher, covering her cheeks and nose with her scarf, she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth softly murmuring, “Bucky, please get here soon. Please come find me…please.”

\--------

  
As soon as Steve and Bucky arrived at the lodge, it was clear to see that something had happened. Stark had an angry, desperate expression on his face as he marched off towards the kitchen; Scott looked like a man who blamed himself for something and Wanda was beside herself with worry.   


“Hey guys?? What the hell?” Bucky asked, a burning pain growing in his stomach as he noticed right off that Dani was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh God!! Bucky!!” Wanda ran to him, nearly in tears. “It’s Dani… we can’t find her!!”

“What…what do you mean?”

“We… she… oh God!” the usually calm woman started crying. Nothing could have frightened Bucky more.

“Somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on!!” the fear in his gut was starting to wrench at his heart. He needed to know what happened, no matter how bad it was.

“Calm down Tin Man… it, could be nothing, ok?” Those words bought Sam a look of angry confusion. “Most of us went out this afternoon for another round of skiing. Dani decided she would rather strap on some snow shoes and go exploring. She was still here when we all left, so we don’t know for sure what time she actually set out for her walk… but she wasn’t here when Wanda went up to her room 30 minutes ago. That’s when we realized she…she’s missing.”

Those words knocked the wind out him, then sat on Bucky’s chest like a ton of bricks. “She’s missing’ he mumbled… “She’s missing?” he asked no one in particular. “Why aren’t you out LOOKING for her?” he felt his voice and his anger rising. A part of him knew that she was a grown woman, that she had made her decision and knew what she was doing, and that the others had no doubt been confident that she would be safe. The other part of him wanted to strangle somebody. Why was she by herself?? And why were they all standing there? Why **weren’t** they looking for her?? It would be dark way too soon. And the fact that she wasn’t back yet almost certainly meant that she was injured in some way.  

Just then, Stark re-joined the group, arms loaded with huge flashlights, a couple of bullhorns and dressed in his Ironman suit. Handing one of the lights to Bucky he looked him directly in the eyes saying, “Let’s go find her.”

With a nod, Bucky followed him out the door.

 

Steve and Bucky headed off together, Vision and Tony each took to the air, going in different directions, Scott and Wanda tried to follow the path of Dani’s snow shoes, which was made more difficult by the gentle fall of flakes that were already filling the tracks in… and Sam, hopped in one of the cars, just in case she had doubled back, losing her way and was actually walking down the road. The remaining guests in the lodge entered every room, turning on all the lights they could find, inside and out; making the building a sort of beacon in the dark...if Dani was anywhere near, she would be able to see where she needed to be.  
  


An hour later, with full darkness now pressing in on them, there was still no sign of her. Bucky was like a machine, traipsing across the snow with the ease of someone who had spent a lot of time in it. Every couple of minutes he would call out her name, then listen attentively to hear some kind of reply. Steve was flanking him on the right, some 15 yards back, doing the same thing. Just when Bucky thought he would lose his mind if they didn’t find something soon, the radio in Steve’s ear crackled… “We found her!” He yelled out to Bucky with a tentative smile on his face…”Buck! Buck… they found her.”    
  


Running to stand beside the Cap, Bucky waited while Tony gave directions to their location and soon both men were jogging across the snow, flashlights waving bizarre designs across the ground as they went. When they found the rest of the team, minus Sam, they were looking over the edge of a severe and well disguised drop off. Looking over the side, Bucky gasped at how far she had fallen. Scanning the sides of the ravine for footholds he started to go over, but Tony and Wanda both grabbed him.

“No Buck! This area is not stable… you can’t risk bringing more snow down on her. Vision is going down… he is the most likely of us all to be able to descend without disturbing the walls of the ravine and he can lift her straight up and out of it… we just need to hang on a few more minutes.” Stark actually placed his hand on Bucky’s shoulder for a brief moment…sensing the turmoil in the other man. Bucky was so distraught, he didn’t even notice it.

In what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality less than 10 minutes; Vision joined her at the bottom of the crevasse; checked her for injuries, finding her swollen ankle and ripping a piece from his cape to wrap her injury; then gently picked her up and out to the anxious group above. She was quickly loaded into a waiting ambulance, Bucky moving to join her inside, a morose expression on his face. With a nod from Stark, the EMT’s allowed him in and set to work, taking vitals that they relayed to the ER that already had a room set up for her. After a cursory exam, they found only the obvious ankle sprain and a sizable lump on her head. There were no signs of frostbite and her lungs were clear. The only thing out of the ordinary was their inability to rouse her. To keep the brooding man sitting across from her occupied, they asked him general questions about Dani and jotted down his replies.

After a few minutes, they relented and let Bucky move to a spot close enough to her that he could gently hold her hand. He was no doctor, but he knew it was not good that she hadn’t come to yet. He couldn’t take his eyes from her hers, not wanting to miss the slightest twitch, the smallest sign that she was trying to open them.

Arriving at the hospital, Bucky returned to the background. He watched as they took her through the double doors to a cubicle in back where she was examined more thoroughly by the doctor on site, sent down for x-rays, and then moved to her room where the whole team waited. The attending nurse gave them a stern look, suggesting that only one or two of them should be in the room at a time.

“There is really not much you can do for her. She will likely sleep through the night and if anything changes, we can notify one or all of you.”

Taking the hint, each team member approached Dani’s bed, lightly touching her on the shoulder or patting her on the hand. The only one who didn’t move was Bucky. When the nurse gave him an impatient look, he graced her with a blank stare and said, “I’m not leaving.”

Heaving a sigh, the woman brought him a pillow and a light blanket, “It’s not very comfortable, but you can sleep in the recliner if you like.”

“Thank you,” Bucky replied without even looking at her.  
  


Pulling his chair as close to the bed as he could, he held Dani’s hand in his. A huge lump had developed in his throat and his breath was raspy as he whispered, “Danica. Dani, its Bucky. I know you can hear me. I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me. Please baby, please open your eyes. I need to tell you something; I need you to know something. I need …you. I love you little bug. Please, please open your eyes.”

Just then, a different nurse stepped in, clearing her throat. “I’m sorry to disturb you, I just want to get one last reading on her vitals.”

Backing out of the way, looking a little embarrassed, Bucky whispered, “Of course.” When the woman was finished, she stopped at the door and turned to him. “Keep talking to her. I believe she can hear you. And it seems she might need to hear what you are saying. Love is the best medicine.”   
  
She smiled at him, leaving him alone to think about the things he had been saying to Danica. Sitting down to once again hold her hand he wondered **did** he love her?? He thought maybe he really did. He had never cared for anyone the way he cared for her. It was somehow more than he had ever felt. Deeper. Almost pure. Not that he didn’t want her physically; they had in their own silly way already established that fact. But it was important to him to know what she was thinking, what she was feeling, what she wanted or needed; he wanted to please her; to make her happy. He wanted to win her heart, but not just win it…he wanted to hold it close and never, ever do anything to lose it.

The horrific thought that she might never know that, that she might never wake up so he could tell her how he felt, was weighing heavily on his shoulders. He was so busy freaking out about what he may lose; what he may have already lost; he almost didn’t notice when she started to come to. Her eyes fluttered lightly, the fingers of the hand he was holding twitched gently and she moaned softly. “Buck?” her voice a barely audible whisper.

Leaning over her, his lips brushing her cheek, he asked, “Dani? Did you say something?”

With another moan and great effort on her part, Dani opened her eyes; frowning as she took in his frazzled, anxious expression. “Bucky… what? Where am I?”

Grabbing the call button, Bucky pushed it several times as he kissed Dani again, this time on the lips, tasting her sweetness before the nurse arrived and moved him out of the way. Thirty minutes later, after another exam by the doctor on call and a brief explanation of what was going on, fuzzy details started coming back to her. The nurse gave her another dose of pain medicine, promising she could go home tomorrow, or possibly the day after that. Turning down the lights, she shut the door as she left, leaving the couple to settle down for the night. What she didn’t know, was that Bucky was going to take it upon himself to climb onto the bed with the patient; wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to his chest.

They spoke softly for a short while, before the meds started to take effect. On the edge of drifting off, Dani turned her head slightly, whispering, “Bucky, I love you too,” her eyes closing, this time in peaceful, secure sleep.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

On Monday evening, two days after her ‘mishap’ as Dani preferred to call it, the team arrived back at the compound. Bucky carried her from the car to her room, even though she had been sent home with a pair of crutches and could make her way around fairly well, albeit slowly, when she used them. Once in her room, he made sure that she had everything she needed, then looked around at all the Christmas decorations and smiled at her. “Looks like you really were busy while I was gone.”

“You sound surprised,” she teased.

Squeezing her hand, he grinned, “Nothing you do could surprise me.”  
  


_He had not quite been himself since that first night at the hospital; even going so far as to blame himself for not being there to keep her from wandering off on her own._

_Dani had put the kibosh on that nonsense right away. “James Buchanan Barnes… do you hear yourself? Do you honestly think that you could have stopped me from doing exactly what I did, simply by being there? Don’t you know me at all? I may not look it, but I have a mind of my own; and the will and ability to do pretty much whatever I decide on; once I set my mind to it. Don’t blame yourself for my impulsiveness and don’t think for a minute that you or anyone else can control my actions.”_

_Taking in the stunned look on his face, she eased back a little… “I know that you were worried about me. I figure that you probably felt a little bit helpless and that’s not something you are used to feeling. And I guess that you might even have been angry with me for being so careless. That’s okay. Those are legitimate feelings. But in the end, it was all my own stupid fault. Not yours. So please don’t blame yourself!!”_  
  


Not wanting to argue with her, Bucky had kept his true feelings bottled up. Now that they were home, he wanted to tell her a few things, but wasn’t sure she was ready to hear them… And what about the words she had whispered before falling asleep that first night? Was that a drug induced reaction of some kind? He needed to know, but right now didn’t seem like the right time to revisit that conversation.

He did get her to agree to allow him to sleep on her couch, for at least the first couple of nights… convincing her that she might need help in the middle of the night and that he would be happy to do it.  
  


And so, several days and nights passed…and before she knew it, Christmas was only a couple of days away. Everyone was busy, finishing their shopping, wrapping gifts and making plans for the holiday. Bucky was still spending his nights on her couch, and as much as she enjoyed spending time with him, she wasn’t sure how she felt about that… The team had a ‘party’ planned for Saturday night, “Christmas Eve”, and Dani wanted to join them in the celebration. She was still using her crutches, per the doctor’s orders, but happily, the pain and swelling were now almost non-existent. As Bucky prepared to leave her room that morning having several things he needed to take care of, she took his hands and smiled sweetly at him, then dropped the bomb.

“Bucky, I can’t thank you enough for all of the care and attention you have lavished on me this week. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. But as of this moment, I release you from your nursing duties and ask that you return to your normal activities. Please. I know you don’t mind helping me out, and you HAVE, so very much… I just need to get back to doing things for myself now, ok?”

For an uncomfortably long moment, he stared at her with such intensity, she was afraid that she had upset him. Chewing on her lower lip she raised her hand hesitantly to his scruff covered cheek, loving the feel of it, as she then traced a gentle path from his brow, down to his chin. Her eyes locked on his as her fingers moved to his full lips; and without really being aware of it, her own lips parted in open invitation. The blue of his eyes was so hypnotic she felt as if she was being carried away, to where, she knew not, nor did she really care. As long as he was there.    
  


Bucky nearly came undone. Grasping her hand, he placed a warm, sensual kiss in her palm. Dani, (still dressed in the oversized short-sleeved t-shirt that she slept in and a thin pair of leggings) gasped softly as she watched his lips scatter a trail of kisses up her bare arm, drawing a shiver from her as they crested her shoulder and traveled up her neck, gently and ever so slowly crossing her cheek to finally come to a stop a mere hair’s breadth away from her own trembling lips.

“Dani, that first night at the hospital... do you remember what you said to me, just before you fell asleep?”

_Wha…What??? Did he honestly expect her brain to function normally when his warm breath was teasing her lips?_

“Yes...I remember.”

“Was that just the pain meds talking…or did you mean it?” Bucky stared down at her as he slipped his arm behind her, preventing her from backing away. In his mind, he had almost lost her once and he didn’t want to waste anymore time. He didn’t think that she wanted that either… time to find out.

“Yes, I meant it. Did you?” she whispered back at him.

Blue eyes twinkling, he nodded at her, “So you **could** hear me?”

“Well… I heard that much.” smiling shyly at him, she put her hands on his chest; still surrounded by his warmth and strong arms. “But I wouldn’t mind hearing it again, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble…”

Deciding there was no time like the present, Bucky spoke honestly, his voice tender, his words straight from his heart, “I love you Danica Lancaster; and I promise I’ll tell you so every day, from now until the end of time; or until you tell me to stop. And even then, I’ll still love you.”

The sincerity of his confession taking her by surprise, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes, a few of them spilling over and rolling down her cheek. “Oh Bucky, I … I love you too! I don’t think I even realized how much until this very moment.”

As he buried his hands in her hair, his voice was thick with emotion, “shhhhh… no tears little bug! This is the part where we kiss…” His lips covered hers then and Dani felt as if her whole body was being consumed by the fire of his passion as time stood still around them. His lips were soft and warm, yet fierce and powerful at the same time. She responded in kind as she tightened her hold on him. His hands roamed gently, with a mind of their own; his fingers tracing delicate designs across her back, up her arms, feathering up her neck before capturing her face again as he sighed deeply. It was a kiss that was equal parts passionate, satisfying and full of promise.

Bucky was tempted to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom; certain that it was what they both wanted. But there were still a few matters that he wanted to get off his chest, things he wanted her to know about him, things he needed to know about her… important things that couldn’t be left to chance.  
  


Pulling away, just slightly, he gazed into her shining eyes and whispered, “God!!! I really hate to do this, but I have to leave: it’s my ‘shrink’ day and I promised Steve I would go shopping with him afterward; don’t even ask me why I agreed to that… but I think that maybe, it’s time you and I sit down and talk… don’t you?”

“Talk?” her voice cracked just a little, “Yeah…I think maybe it is. But for now, you go do whatever you need to do. I’ll be here when you get back; I promise.”

“I believe you will,” he replied softly, and then added playfully, “Just stay away from the snow shoes, okay?”

She rolled her eyes at him as she pointed toward the door…”I think I hear Steve calling you… “

Bucky laughed and gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you later doll!”

“Later gator,” she hugged him back and brushed her lips gently across his.

Groaning, he threw his head back and left the room like a spoiled child who didn’t want to go to school, smiling as her giggle followed him out the door.

\---------

 

Later, Bucky sat in Dr. Martin’s office, staring out the window; the topic they had been discussing; now a mere fragment of a fading dream.

“What is it Sgt. Barnes? What is it that has so captured your attention today?”

Looking down at his long legs stretched out before him, he slowly raised his eyes to look the doctor in the face, still not saying a word.

A slow smile crossing the older man’s face, he tried again…”Or who? Who is it that is weighing so heavily on your mind? A woman perhaps? You did mention some weeks ago that you had met someone special. Care to tell me about her?”

Bucky couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his own face. Nodding slightly, he crossed his legs, resting his right ankle on his left knee and absent mindedly rubbed his shin, deep in thought. After a few seconds, he blurted out **“I’m in love!”**

Dr. Martin almost choked on the sip of coffee he had just taken from his large brown mug.

“I know, it’s _crazy_ , isn’t it?” Bucky smiled as he used that unpopular word.

“How … how…” the doc was pretty much in shock; even though this was clearly a breakthrough for the tortured man before him, he had not seen it coming.

“How? How is it possible? How did it happen? How can I possibly deserve to be with a woman who isn’t terrified of me, my history, or my arm? A woman who is incredibly sweet and kind and generous. A woman who is so innocent; so forgiving; so damn beautiful that she takes my very breath away…” he was on a roll now, “The truth is, I don’t know. I mean I don’t deserve her, I don’t… but somehow, she makes me feel like I do!”

“Why do you think you don’t deserve her? If she is as amazing as you make her sound, then she must surely see something worthwhile in you. Can’t you see that?”

Ignoring the man completely, Bucky went on, “But she doesn’t really know my story, not all of it. I have to tell her… don’t I? I mean, she has the right to know what a monster she is getting involved with. And she… she… shit! She has never even **seen** my arm, not all of it. She doesn’t know that I killed her father’s friend. She doesn’t even know that I was involved with another team member… many years ago, but still; I need to tell her the truth about that, don’t I? And we haven’t even been on a date yet, for God’s sake!!” Bucky looked so flustered as he bent over in his seat putting his hands on his face, as if hiding from something that he just couldn’t face.

Noting that their time was almost up, Dr. Martin leaned forward in his chair as well, “And still, you love her… and she has proclaimed her feelings for you… she loves you too?”

Giving the doctor a sideways glance, he sighed, “Yes…I believe that she does.”

“Then your battle is half won. Share with her those things that you think you must, but don’t burden her with your own self-doubts. They are unfounded and problematic. Encourage her to ask questions, but don’t fall back on your habit of beating yourself up just because you don’t think you deserve something good. Let her decide that for herself.”

The doctor stood, grabbing Bucky’s hand in a firm shake. “This is a good thing Sgt. Barnes. Enjoy it and be happy!”

“Sure…thanks doc.” Bucky walked out into the waiting room and Steve looked up from his crossword puzzle. “Let’s go!!” was all Buck had to say, but at least, he DID sound happy about it.

\-------

Several hours later, Steve and Bucky returned to the Stark compound and when they entered the common area, they heard Christmas music and much laughter coming from the kitchen. They quickly dropped their packages off in their own rooms and returned to find Vision, Wanda, Dani, Sam and Thor, all covered in flour and sprinkles, making what they assumed were intended to be cookies.

“Ahhhh… it’s the Captain and the Soldier of Winter!!! Greetings my friends!!” Thor’s voice boomed from across the room, his golden locks generously doused with flour. “Join us as we prepare HOLIDAY TREATS!”

The others erupted in another round of laughter; apparently, it was an inside joke that Bucky and Steve were not privy to. Bucky had only one purpose in mind as he made his way through the small group of ‘cooks’ and gently took Dani in his arms, pulling her close for a tender kiss.

He didn’t seem to notice the looks exchanged between the other team members, who up to this point in time had never seen the two of them do more than exchange longing glances and an occasional hand hold. Sam made the first comment, of course.

“ _Whoaa there tin-man_! I don’t see any mistletoe hanging over your heads… what is THIS all about??”

The room fell silent as rueful looking Bucky rubbed his stubble covered chin and mouthed “I’m sorry” to Dani, whose cheeks were showing a lovely shade of pink. With a slight shrug of her shoulders, she looked around at the group assembled there, asking matter of factly, “Oh… you guys didn’t know that Bucky and I are dating?” All eyes were on her as she took his hand and raised it to her lips, kissing his knuckles. “Well, now you do!” she smiled brightly and Bucky squeezed her waist where his metal hand rested.

The silence was soon replaced with laughter and proclamations of “I KNEW it!” and “When did this happen?”, “Congratulations,” and “That’s wonderful you two!!” filled the air. Thor reached out to shake Bucky’s hand and as he did so, he leaned in and gave a shocked Dani a warm kiss on the lips… sparks flew from Bucky’s eyes as the god of thunder exclaimed, “Hold on my friend!! It is customary on Asgard that those closest to a fellow soldier who has taken a woman to be his own be honored by a kiss from her. It’s a sign of her acceptance of their solemn pledge that they will take care of and watch over her as if she was their own… you don’t do that on Midgard?”

Steve could see Bucky’s jaw working, as he tried to remain calm. Trying to appease Bucky, and not insult the much larger man he explained, “Thor, that is a great and honorable tradition; but we actually don’t do that here on Ear..Midgard… not until a couple gets **married.** ”

“Ahhhhhh… I see. Please Lady Danica, forgive my boldness. And you as well Bucky. I did not mean to offend.”   With a slight nod of his head, Bucky slapped Thor on the shoulder, saying, “It’s okay. Thank you for your good intentions.”

None of the others in the group could believe what they had just seen and heard. The Winter Soldier was proving himself to be understanding and forgiving and … kind. This was a side of him that only a choice few were familiar with. Apparently Dani was a very good influence on him.

“Come on people!” Dani grinned, “Let’s get to making cookies!” Laughter rang out again and everyone joined in. It would be safe to say that a good time was had by all…. Even Tony, once he and Pepper had arrived and she convinced him that the messy kitchen was an indication of the joy that had gone into the project. Accepting her assessment of the mess, he was later curious as to why, after spending hours in the kitchen, there were relatively few cookies to be put away.  

Snorting, Pepper asked him how many cookies HE had eaten. As he started counting on his fingers it dawned on him what had been going on and he mumbled, “It’s like raising a bunch of children….” Before taking her hand and turning out the lights.

 

\------

 

Bucky walked with Dani, suddenly feeling anxious and uncertain. She didn’t have her crutches with her, giving them the perfect opportunity to slowly make their way back to her apartment. As they stepped inside, he cleared his throat asking, “If you aren’t too tired and feel up to it… I would really like to have that talk now.”

Her heart suddenly began pounding erratically and her mouth was dry as cotton. “Of course. Please have a seat. I, uh, I need something to drink. You?”

“I’m good, thanks.” He managed to sound much calmer than he really felt.

Moving to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, Dani let out a yelp as she clumsily turned her already injured ankle. Bucky was by her side in an instant, picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the couch. “What do you need me to do? How can I help?” his eyes pleading with her to let him do **something**.

Running her fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ear, a dozen possible responses ran through her mind, but she opted for the simplest, safest reply, “You can set me down. I promise I’m fine now.”

A soft smiled played on his lips as he nodded, “Oh… okay,” easing her down to the couch, careful not to let her ankle bump on anything, then taking the spot next to her. After opening her bottle of water and taking several sips she started the conversation, “Alright, go ahead and spit it out. What is it that you want to talk about?”

Leaning back, he heaved a raspy sigh. “Well, first of all, thank you for covering for me earlier. Telling everyone that we are dating…that was kind of you. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or put you in a difficult situation like that.” Dani just nodded at him, indicating that he should go on. “I, uh, there are a few things about me, about my past, that I think you have the right to know, before we actually DO uhhh... date. I spent a lot of years doing things that I’m not proud of; in fact I’m terribly ashamed about most of it.”

Placing her hand on his arm, she squeezed it firmly, saying “I know. Bucky, I know all about it. About HYDRA; the mind wipes, brainwashing, torture… the missions. I went to Steve; he didn’t want to tell me, but I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I know about Howard and Maria Stark… and I know about Natasha.”

Bucky’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “He told you about Natasha?”

“Oh… no. That part I actually figured out on my own. But I did confront her and she told me everything I wanted to know, and then some.”

“God…Dani I’m sorry,” he looked like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. That must have been why Nat had tried to talk with him before they dropped her off in San Diego after the mission.

“Bucky don’t. I’m the one who needs to apologize for going behind your back. It wasn’t right of me to do that. I should have come to you and asked what was bothering you… but I took the coward’s way around it. I’m sorry.”

He chuckled as he put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. “We both need to trust each other and ourselves, just a little bit more I guess. If you really need me to forgive you for being curious, then I do… but I don’t think you did anything wrong. I’m just sorry I didn’t tell you all of this myself.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes, listening as the familiar night sounds of the compound began to softly fill the air.

“So… we’re officially dating now? …even though we’ve never actually gone ‘out’…”

Turning towards him and raising her arms to put her hands on the back of his neck, Dani pulled his face close to hers… “Bucky… we can talk all night if you want to. Or we can kis…” She barely got those words out of her mouth before his lips were on hers in the first of many kisses that night.

When Dani took a moment to stretch her leg and flex her aching ankle for the second time; suggesting they might be more ‘comfortable’ in the bedroom, he literally gulped for air. “What? You… you want to…”

Standing slowly she smirked as she grabbed his hands, pulling on them, “How about we just move to the bedroom first and see where it goes from there?”

Bucky thought that was a very good idea…

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

Christmas Eve morning found everyone in a good mood. Several of the team members still had gifts to wrap and even a couple to buy, so they all scurried around doing their last minute errands, before preparing for the party that night. Tony had wanted to go all out, but the team, reminding him that New Years Eve was only a week later, had voted down the fancy shindig, opting for a much more casual private affair… Bucky for one, was really happy about that. Not that he wouldn’t love to see Dani all decked out in one of those form-fitting, fancy dresses… (he smiled broadly at the thought of it) but he wanted to have her all to himself and a large party didn’t seem to fit that bill.

At 6:30 on the dot, he knocked on her door to escort her down to the party. When the door opened, he whistled in satisfaction. She wore tight black jeans, a green sweater adorned with a Christmas tree, complete with blinking lights stitched on it; and black tennis shoes. Her hair was piled high on her head, with long wispy curls framing her face. He leaned down to kiss her, breathing in deeply; the scent of her perfume an aphrodisiac to his already overwrought willpower.   


_***The previous night had been quite enjoyable and even though it did not play out the way he had at first expected it to, he wouldn’t change a thing. Once they reached the bedroom, Dani piled the pillows high against the headboard and leaned back into them as she stretched out her legs and patted the spot next to her. Bucky joined her there, suddenly not sure what she had in mind. She took his hand and in hers and began telling him ‘her story’… even the parts that she would rather have left out. It all seemed fairly innocent to him, but most everything did when compared to his past._

_They talked for quite a while, kissed for a while, snuggled for a while. As they lay there quietly; her head on his chest and her tender ankle resting on his calf, her innocent question had thrown him off guard._

_“Would it be okay if I cut your hair, just a little?” WTF?? He was blindsided… what did that MEAN? He didn’t know all of the bizarre ‘catch phrases’ that were used today… was it something sexual? No… She had as much as admitted that she wasn’t into ‘strange’ stuff and so far, they hadn’t even taken their clothes off…_

_His response was so slow in coming; Dani looked up at him quizzically. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you… I like it long if you want to leave it that way. I just really enjoy cutting people’s hair. I know that probably sounds a little odd.”_

_Bucky had risen up on his elbow, rolling Dani over flat on her back. “I…” he snorted and chuckled before going on, “Right now? You want to cut it right now?” he hovered over her, drinking in the sight of her, amazed yet again at her honest innocence._

_She could tell her request had surprised him but was not willing to give up on the thought of running her fingers through his wet soapy hair (it actually WAS a bit of a turn on for her) she bit her lip, “Unless you have somewhere else you’d rather be, I’d love to do it…right now.”_

_Oh… now she WAS teasing, but he didn’t mind a bit. “Okay, then. Where do you want me?” He pulled her up as he rose to sit on the edge of the bed._

_With a delightful smirk of her own, Dani pointed, “The kitchen sink. At least until we know each other a little better.”_

_Rolling his eyes at her, clearly hoping she was going to suggest the shower, he did as he was told and moved to the kitchen…***_

Thinking back on it now… he admitted to himself that it had been the most enjoyable hair wash and cut he had EVER had, or could even imagine. Her fingers were magical as she lathered up his hair and gently massaged his scalp, over and over, not missing a spot, humming softly as she worked; rinsing and repeating; then blushing hotly when she noticed he was staring up at her. She used a large soft towel to soak up most of the water from his hair then moved his chair away from the sink where she ran a comb through his long locks. She had started to just give him a trim, but he told her to go ahead and cut it however she wanted to. He really liked how it turned out and hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she got the urge to cut it.

\-----

 

As every party thrown by Tony Stark (aka Pepper Potts) turned out to be, that night’s gathering was a truly fun, happy and enjoyable one. Every Avenger team member found a way to show up and take part, for at least an hour or two. There was plenty of food to go around, liquor to partake of, silly games to play, with music, laughter and celebration abounding.

Hours later, when only the smaller group of those who actually lived at the compound remained, they sat together around the fireplace in the ‘rec room’; drinking hot chocolate and sharing with each other the gifts they had bought for one another. As they each ‘ooohed’ and ‘ahhhhed’ over what they received and showed off for the others to see, Bucky was overcome by the strongest sense of … ‘belonging’ that he had ever known. The tough as nails soldier was nearly moved to tears by the love and acceptance that he felt from those gathered there… THAT was the best present he received that night, although he did love the beautifully engraved knife and holder that Dani had given him. He couldn’t believe that she had remembered him pointing it out to her during one of their first conversations over a magazine that he had been reading; (in truth he had been trying to hide the fact that he was watching HER in the library.)

Dani smiled brightly, throwing her arms around his neck and playfully kissing him loudly when she opened his gift to her… a very expensive, beautifully crafted silk scarf with a pretty clip to fasten it with if she wanted to. He shyly told her that he thought it would look really nice if she used it to tie her hair back… After she kissed him again, he whispered in her ear, “I have something else for you... but I’m saving it for tomorrow.”

“Bucky… you didn’t need to do that. And I don’t have anything else for you.”

Pulling her tight he assured her, “I have everything I need.”

\-------

 

After all of the “Thank You”s, “Merry Christmas” wishes, hugs and “good nights” had been exchanged, Bucky and Dani walked back to her apartment. Once inside, they stood together at the window, Bucky behind her with his arms encircling her waist, her hands resting on his; watching as the snowflakes fell, swirling and twirling down from the sky; blanketing the already frozen ground, filling the night with a peaceful beauty.

Dani closed her eyes, leaning her head back into his chest with a sigh. Bucky kissed the top of her head; remembering the other gift.

“Hey, I want you to open your other gift now, while it’s just us.”

Looking at him with an evil smirk, Dani’s eyes locked on his as she remembered part of their conversation from the previous night, “Okay… where do you want me?”

Turning her body towards the couch, he pointed, “Right there.”

Rummaging around behind the tree, Bucky produced a brightly wrapped package that he had hidden there days before. He handed it to her with a serious look on his face. As she carefully unwrapped the gift, sticking the multi-layered bow to his shirt, he reminded her of the story she had shared with him about a special snow-globe that had been broken during her move to her brother’s nearly a year ago. It had been a gift from her father many years before and she still mourned its loss as surely as she mourned the man who gave it to her.

“I know it’s not exactly the same, probably not even close, but I hope… I hope it’s… I hope you like it. He stuttered as she lifted the lid from the box, reaching in to carefully pull out the globe tucked inside.   Dani stared at it for a long moment, her eyes filling with tears. Turning it over, she wound the key to make the music play and then flipped it back over watching as the ‘snow’ inside swirled around and the sounds of “O’ Holy Night began to play softly. Suddenly she lowered her head, holding the globe close to her chest as she began to cry in earnest.

“Dani? Baby don’t…please don’t cry. If you don’t like it I’ll get you different one…”   He had looked high and low at what had seemed like a thousand snow globes… even searching a couple of stores in Odessa, where he had finally found the one she now held. The globe was filled with a winter scene; a simple church with a tall steeple, a decorated pine tree next to it with a bright star on top, surrounded by several small animals on the snow-covered ground. Bucky was so afraid he had upset her by being a stupid jerk and reminding her of her dad that he was totally surprised when she threw her arms around him and covered his face with wet kisses. Finally, the tears and the kisses slowed down and she blew her nose and wiped her eyes before grabbing his hand.

“It… it’s perfect… absolutely perfect. Thank you… thank you so much.”

With a sigh, he whispered “I’m sorry it made you cry… I wasn’t thinking…”

“Bucky stop… yes you were! You were thinking of me and wanting to replace something that you knew I loved. This is the most thoughtful, precious, amazing gift I have ever received. I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know how…” Her eyes began to shine with tears again and he cupped her face in his hands. “Just tell me you love me, that’s all I need. All I’ll ever need.”

“I do. I love you Bucky Barnes. I love you…” he stopped her words with a kiss. And another... And then another.

 

 


	7. Epilogue

 

Outside… the snow continued to fall, the delicate flakes piling one upon the other, each one adding it’s minute weight to the flakes that had fallen before it, even as another intricately patterned fleck joined the pile, only to be covered by yet another. Overnight the snow would continue to fall, softly, yet relentlessly; never stopping as the drifts grew higher and higher. It would be a beautiful sight come morning. The branches of the surrounding trees covered by mounds of the white stuff, weighted down to the point that some of the lower, stronger ones would bow down to touch the ground; while lesser, weaker branches might break from the weight.

The almost surreal combination of beauty and destruction were a constant battle between the powers of nature, the unseen, the unexpected. When morning did come, the heavy silence would be broken by the sounds of snow-blowers, shovels, large vehicles scraping the ice and snow from the roads; and a little later still, the easily recognizable ‘crunching’ sounds of boot covered feet trying to make their way to and from the places they needed to go, along with the laughter that invariably accompanied a good old fashioned snow ball fight. All those things would come. Later.  


Inside… the twinkling bulbs on the Christmas tree in the other room provided the only light in the warm apartment. It was more than enough. The sounds of deep slow breathing whispered and rose from comfort of the cozy bed. Bare skin pressed together under multiple blankets, adding to the warmth as their legs were comfortably entwined, her head resting on his shoulder, arm flung halfway across his body as his hand met and held hers. Their lovemaking had been the same as everything else they did… playful yet intensely passionate, fulfilling and uniquely their own.  

Bucky, never a deep sleeper, not in the normal sense of the word, grew a little restless, waking Dani just enough to get her to roll onto her other side. As she did so, she backed into him, snuggling against his chest and abdomen. With a content smile, he kissed her ear, or somewhere there about; eliciting a soft giggle from her before they both drifted off again. Sleep welcomed them in and held them there, uninterrupted for the rest of the night.

 

Outside… the snow continued to fall.

 

The end.


End file.
